Wrapping of cigarettes and other articles



G. D. HORGAN WRAPPING OF CIGARETTES AND OTHER ARTICLES March 28, 1939.

Filed March 6, 1937 INVENTQR GEORGE DAN/2 #omw Q 9.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 George Daniel Horgan, London, England, assignor to American Machine & Foundry Com pany, New York, N. Y.,' a corporation of New Jersey Application March 6,

1937, Serial No. 129,370

In Great Britain April 8, 1936 6 Claims.

This invention relates to the wrapping of cigarettes and other articles of the type comprising an outer covering of transparent or translucent material in which the packet of cigarettes or the like is enclosed and which may form a moisture proof covering.

These outer wrappings may consist of material such as that known under the registered trademark Cellophane or 'glacine, and as these 10 wrappings are sealed as by heat-sealing or by the use of an adhesive in order to facilitate the removal tearing tabs are provided. Such tabs are usually arranged in the middle of one of the broad faces of the packet adjacent an end there- 16 of and it is found that the tear caused by pulling the tab normally develops into a V-shape and frequently terminates in the face of the wrapper on which the tab is formed so that further tearing is necessary before the wrapper may be finally 2o removed.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved wrapping which will permit an easier opening and removal of the wrapping.

A further object is to provide a wrapping blank having tabs and adapted to be severed from a strip or web without waste.

Further objects will appear hereinafter.

According to the invention a wrapping for a packet of cigarettes or other like articles is provided with one or a pair of tearing tabs located to cause a tearing of the wrapper along one (or both) narrow sides of the packet.

The invention also comprises a wrapper, preferably severed from a strip or web, having one or a pair of tearing tabs located adjacent the longitudinal edges of the strip.

The invention also comprises a wrapped packet having one or a pair of tearing or opening tabs located at the narrow sides of the packet.

Further features of the invention will be hereinafter described and defined in theclaims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a blank wrapper according to the preferred form in Figure 1, while Figures 2 to 5 show various stages in applying and folding the wrapper upon a carton.

Figure 6 shows the completed wrapped carton.

It is to be noted that Figures 2 to 6 are illustons of cigarettes in transparent coverings such as Cellophane or like material, the wrapper I0 -is formed with two tearing tabs ll, l2 which project from a transverse edge l3 of the wrapper and are located adjacent the longitudinal edges l4, l5 of the wrapper.

The lateral dimensions of the tabs are preferably such that the terminus of each of their inner edges I la, l2a, when the wrapper is applied, coincide with edges of the carton.

In cutting the wrappers it is preferred to sever them from a web or strip so that the other transverse edge l6 of the wrapper is complementary to the edge having the pair of tabs, 1. e., the edge IE will comprise a long central tab and stepped back corners whereby there will be no waste of material. If desired, however, the edge IS in question may be cut square without the long central tab as the latter is unnecessary so far as the improved wrapping is concerned. By the illustrative showing of the transverse margin l6 as straight, it is not intended to exclude the provision of a blank with an edge of curved or other suitable contour.

The longitudinal dimensions of the wrapper are such that when it is applied to the carton ll the transverse margin having the long central tab l6 (or no tab) will fold over the longitudinaledge of the carton and partially down the face panel l'l thereof as seen in Figure 2 so that when the other transverse margin having the tabs II and I2 is brought upwardly its edge l3 will coincide orbe slightly set back from the aforesaid longitudinal edge, and so that the tabs II and I! will project beyond such edge, as seen in Figure 3. The overlapping longitudinal margins of the wrapper lia, lib, Iic, lid (Figure 3) are then folded down onto the narrow faces of the carton in known manner, for example by first folding the overlaps lie and lid, then the overlap lib, the overlap lia having the tearing or opening tab preferably being folded last so II and I2 associated with the two longitudinal I 2 narrow faces of the arton and projecting beyond the comer edges of the packet.

On pulling either of the tabs it will be found that the wrapper will be torn along the continuous edge of the packet leaving the remainder of the wrapper so vulnerable that it may be readily removed.

Obviously only a single tab may be provided.

While the invention has been particularly described in connection with the Cellophane wrapping of packets of cigarettes it will be obvious that any article of a like shape may be provided with the improved wrapping according to the invention. Moreover, the wrappers may be formed of any other transparent or translucent material.

According to the preferred arrangement the tabs, in severing the wrapper from a web, are formed by three transverse cuts joined by a pair of longitudinal cuts which latter are preferably inclined, thus providing squared tabs. The tabs may, however, be of any other desired shape; thus they may be of rounded outline.

Further, the tabs may beprovided with a starting cut adjacent the comers II a, l2a, particularly in tougher wrapping materials. a

I claim:

1. An enwrapped package of the class' described; said package comprising a cigarette carton or like packet of substantially rectangular contour having front and rear face panels, sides, and ends, defined by substantially straight lengthwise edges and straight transverse edges intersecting the longitudinal edges at right angles; and a wrapper comprising a sheet of somewhat tough wrapping material, such as Cellophane; said sheet including in a single substantially continuous member material sumcient in area to extend completely around two face panels and the intervening sides of said packet: with marginal material extending over each end of the packet and folded and sealed in overlapping arrangement; at least one of said end margins being provided with a tab free from sealing attachment to the underlying folds and constituting an extension of an entire end of said wrapper, so that upon retroverting said tab and pulling it manually the associated end fold structure can be ruptured and removed, leaving the remainder of the wrapper vulnerable for ready complete removal from the packet.

2. An enwrapped package of the class described; said package comprising a cigarettecarton or like packet of substantially rectangular contour having front and rear face panels, sides and ends, defined by substantially straight lengthwise edges and straight transverse edges intersecting the longitudinal edges at right angles; and a wrapper comprising a sheet of transparent sheet material such as Cellophane, having'a tear-resisting characteristic; said sheet including in a single substantially continuous member material suflicient in area to extend completely around two face panels and the intervening sides of said packet; with marginal material extending over each end of the packet and folded and sealed in overlapping arrangement; at least one of said end margins being provided with a tab free'from sealing attachment to the underlying folds and constituting an extension of an entire end of said wrapper, so that upon retroverting said tab and pulling it manually the associated end fold structure can be ruptured and removed, leaving the remainder of the wrapper vulnerable for ready complete removal from the packet.

, 3. An enwrapped package of the class described having the features claimed in claim 1, in which said tabe is aligned with a transverse end edge of said wrapper, so that upon retroverting ,said tab and pulling it manually along the entire length of said transverse end the entire associated end fold structure can be ruptured and removed, leaving the remainder of the wrapper vulnerable for ready complete removal from the packet. v

4. .An enwrapped package of the class described; said packagecomprising a cigarette carton or like packet of substantially rectangular contour having front and rear face panels, sides and ends, defined by substantially straight lengthwise edges and straight transverse edges intersecting the longitudinal edges at right angles; and a wrapper comprising a sheet of transparents sheet material such as Cellophane, having a tear-resisting characteristic; said sheet including in a single substantially continuous member material suflicient in area to extend completely around two face panels and the intervening sides of said packet; with marginal material extending over each end of the packet and folded and sealed in overlapping arrangement;

1, in which provision ismade of a tearing tabprojecting beyond a transverse edge of the blank and adjacent to a longitudinal edge thereof; said tearing tab being defined by an edge perpendicular to said longitudinal edge of the blank, and merging into said transverse edge of the blank by a shoulder inclined at an obtuse angle to the last-named edge at their meeting point.

6. A wrapper blank for a cigarette carton or like packet having the features claimed in claim 1, in which provision is made of a pair of 'tearing tabs projecting beyond a transverse edge of the blank and adjacent to the longitudinal edges thereof, each of said tabs being defined by an edge parallel with that of said other tab and by an edge perpendicular to said longitudinal edges of the blank, and each tab merging into the transverse edge by a shoulder inclined at an obtuse angle to said transverse edge of the blank, whereby the initial tearing point of each tab is localized while unintended tearing is'resisted.

GEORGE DANIEL HORGAN. 

